Goldwork viola

And I managed the strings! I didn't think they'd ever work out, but I ended up putting two rows of bright check purls over a small piece of felt to give enough height for the strings to both catch on the bridge and get over the bottom part of the finger board. If you don't look at that part too closely, it's OK!!

The background is now totally done on the narrowboat piece, but as it's not much different from last time, it's not really worth a new picture yet. Hope to show more of that later in the week.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying the sense of accomplishment that came from having finally completed that viola. I started it in Taiwan back in mid February 2010, so it's taken 20 months to get it from re-working the design to completing the stitching! I hope I don't have too many more projects that progress so shakily...


© Elizabeth Braun 2011

Two things actively WIP!

Wow! Two pieces currently being worked on! I've been putting in most of the half stitch sky on the narrowboat cross stitch piece. You mayn't be able to see it very clearly, but it's there in two shades of light blue. Not much further to go on that, and then it's on to the top stitching.

Much to my amazement, I had the urge to get on with the goldwork viola too! I put in this long piece of almost vertical pearl purl #1 and hope to get the other side done over the weekend, and maybe also some other bits. I'm really unsure of how the strings could be worked so that they look realistic, so it may be that I have to omit them. I'd rather leave something out than have that element spoil the whole effect by it's weakness!

I really need to get the slight white flecks (dust??) off this piece before it's finally photographed!

Digging around on YouTube (which I've begun to do too much of lately.....) I found this video, which some may enjoy. Also worth looking up is their 2009 display, which I actually preferred as it has some wonderful caskets, boxes and an album cover as well as a quilt that is a mosaic of a face! Well, head and shoulders really. The reason I've embedded this one though you can see from about 2.19 mins onwards for a while. There you see vertical rows of small square embroideries, probably worked by different members, on the same fabric background. I was struck by the potential of this idea for around the house! Perhaps I could do another piece or two on black silk to go with the viola?? A way to display samples of things and small pieces without having the expense of buying a frame. See what you think:



Hoping to get back to my old, pre-Taiwan posting schedule of bi-weekly WIP updates on Mondays and Thursdays. Perhaps I can accomplish this goal by the end of this year? Let's see! I'm feeling quite enthusiastic at the mo, but next month my umph could be stolen by other interests.....
© Elizabeth Braun 2011

Cross Stitching Complete

Wow! This feels like a real milestone - having completed the main stitching on this piece that I began in Taiwan in summer 2010! I can see the end now coming closer and am beginning to even feel a little stitching enthusiasm returning!

I think that part of the embryonic re-beginnings of enjoyment has been that I've decided to shelve the idea of kit making for now. It's still there and I hope to come back to it later on, but I simply don't feel that I'm competent or confident enough to be teaching stumpwork to others as yet. I want to do a lot more in the way of learning and practice first. Maybe that might include a City & Guilds, who knows? There is a Level 1 stumpwork course available on-line, so we'll see. Need money to spare for that too.

In the meantime, I might have a go at selling hand-dyed and hand-painted fabrics and threads, including pieces of painted silks, dyed cottons - both plainweave and evenweave for counted thread work, and maybe even look at dyeing some threads when I get the hang of dyeing at all!! Let me know what you think...

© Elizabeth Braun 2011

Working on the Narrowboat

Well, a little bit anyway. It's been a while since I last posted an update on this piece, but, as I've now made it to 150 Blogger followers (thank you all!), I thought I'd make a celebratory post and give an update on the only thing I've really been stitching at all.

Last update showed much the same status, just without the bridge on the top left hand side. Not very far to go now with the main cross stitching on this one, then it's on to working the sky in half stitch. It was originally meant to be in regular cross stitch, but I like the slightly textured effect one gets from doing a one strand half stitch background. Some of the flowers are to be done in French knots too, so more depth and texture there.

Maybe I'll finish this one and the other 2 WIPs this year, who knows??=)

© Elizabeth Braun 2011